                  
                      
                      Enigma - Copyright Geckosoft 1996
                                 April 1997
                   

                                INSTRUCTIONS
 
Welcome to Enigma, a game of mental and physical dexterity for the PC.
This game is written in 100% blistering assembler and has super slick graphics 
and  sound.   Includes main  game and five  cool subgames,  150 levels of pure
60 Hz arcade gameplay and perplexing puzzles.

Other text files included:      INSTRUCT.TXT (Instructions (This file))
				REGISTER.TXT (How to register ENIGMA)	
				HELP.TXT     (Help file)	


                      So basically, what's it all about?

Enigma is  based  on  the  ancient  game of  BREAK-OUT.   Most people  will be
familiar with  this genre of game,  either the first time round (circa 1970's)
or the second time round with Arkanoid (Circa 1980's).
The  main  screen  consists of a  wall of blocks at  the top and a  bat at the 
bottom.  The score, level and pickup  status are displayed along the bottom of 
the screen.
Using the  mouse, you  must control the bat in  order to prevent the ball from
bouncing off  the bottom of  the screen.   When the ball  hits a normal block,
the block  will be destroyed  and there is a  chance that  either a nasty or a 
pickup will appear.


                            Oh no! It's a NASTY!

When  a  nasty appears,  it will  usually  fall  down  the  screen.  Different
nasties have different attack waves and properties.   You may be able to shoot
them although  it may be  wiser to run  away.  You will have to learn the best 
method to deal with each nasty for yourself.
WARNING: Touching a nasty is a BAD thing.


                       Praise the lord, it's a PICKUP!

Life  isn't  just  nasties  you  know,  there  are  pickups  too.   There  are 
a number of  pickups to help you on  the way, the  instruction screen from the
main game menu will show you all of them along with their name.  Most pickups, 
when collected, have a little icon on the score bar to tell you what it is.  
The icon will start to flash just before the pickup effect wears off.
(One of  the most  important is  the pickup  shaped like  a spinning star: Get 
this as it will lead you to a sub game.)


                         What do you mean, SUBGAME?

Enigma  contains FIVE  subgames,  each one  weirder than  the last.   When you 
collect the subgame  pickup the display will  switch to the BETTING SCREEN and
then  to  a  randomly  selected  subgame.   You  will  be  shown  some  simple 
instructions on how to play the game.   It is in your best interest to win the
subgame as this will give you extra lives etc.


                   This BETTING SCREEN seems a bit weird.

It's not  that bad.  The  window on  the left  shows what  you could  win, the 
window on the right shows what you could lose.   You should click on the start
button  when the  prize is  good and  the loss is  minimal.  If  you  win  the 
subgame and the 'Win' box says 3 Lives, then 3 Lives will be given to you.  
Conversely, if you loose then whatever is in the 'Loose' box will be deducted.
Things that you can win or lose include lives, points and levels.


                       Where's the 3D texture mapping?

Erm, there is no 3D texture mapping.  Not every game has to be DOOM you know.


                          What's that falling junk?

You mean the stuff falling from  the gaps in the blocks?  That's, erm, falling
junk.  On some  levels when a gap is created in  the blocks, dangerous objects
start to fall down.  They are  all bad for you, the  fire and rocks damage you
and the snow flakes freeze the bat for a second or two.

Some other things...

WARP HOLE:      The warp hole appears on some levels with varying frequencies,
                it effects various factors, including the bat, ball, bullets
                and missiles.  Experimentation is they key.
CHAOS:          This pickup looks like a large ball with an exclamation (!)
                mark on it.  When collected it invokes CHAOS for a few 
                seconds.  Chaos involves multiple invinciballs which cannot
                fall out the screen and also the bat is shielded.  This is a
                pretty cool pickup.
GAME DIFFICULTY: The difficulty of the game gradually increases with the level
                number.  The last couple of levels should prove to be quite
                a challenge!
LEVEL CODES:    There are 150 levels in the game and you will get a password
                every 10 levels.  There are no passwords in the shareware
                release of the game.
SHAREWARE:      The shareware version of ENIGMA has been cut down to 10 levels
                and only 2 subgames.  To upgrade your copy to the full version
                which has 150 NEW levels and 5 subgames then read file called
                REGISTER.TXT.
BLOCKS:         Not all blocks have the same attributes.  An exploding block
                has to be hit a number of times before it will break,
                showering you with dangerous fragments.  A metal block cannot
                be broken at all.
MOUSE SPEED:    If the bat moves too fast or too slow, change the speed in
                options menu.  ENIGMA uses a special interpolation method to
                make the mouse appear smoother.
MAGNETS:        Sometimes a magnet appears at the side of the screen and
                you are pulled towards it.  You've got to try and counter the
                motion.  Hey - nobody said it was gonna be easy.

There are many more interesting things to find in ENIGMA, experimentation and
learning is the only way to get through to the end.


 
                             Who made this game?

Tony McBride   : Assembly language programming, design, testing.
Nick Donnelly  : Concept, Graphics, Design, Sound, Levels.



DISCLAIMER:     WE ACCEPT NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DAMAGE, EITHER MENTAL OR
                PHYSICAL, TO PERSONS, HARDWARE OR SOFTWARE RESULTING FROM THE
                USE OF THIS SOFTWARE.
                THE UNREGISTERED VERSION IS SHAREWARE AND CAN BE FREELY
                DISTRIBUTED AS LONG AS NO CHANGE IS MADE TO ANY FILE AND NO
                CHARGE IS MADE.
                THE REGISTERED SOFTWARE IS COPYRIGHT GECKOSOFT 1995 AND MUST
                NOT BE COPIED, LENT, OR RESOLD.                                           


Any correspondence can be sent to:

E-Mail:             nickd@gecko.co.uk

Snail Mail:         Geckosoft
                    PO Box 5157
                    Dumbarton
                    Scotland
                    G822HF

Visit our Web-Page at http://www.gecko.co.uk

Feel free to write in with any playing tips, bugs, complaints or questions.

Have fun,

                                Nick Donnelly
                                Tony McBride


